Gallbladder Disease with Dr. Jason Cohen

Today on MD-VOD, Dr. John Kennedy is joined by Dr. Jason Cohen, MD, FACS, a surgical oncologist from Marina del Rey Hospital, to discuss gallbladder disease. Together they examine the cause of gallbladder disease, who is at risk, the symptoms, how it’s diagnosed and available medications, treatments and therapies. They further discuss the consequences and the realities of living with gallbladder disease, including insurance coverage and related costs.

Your gallbladder is a pear-shaped organ under your liver that stores bile, a fluid made by your liver to digest fat. As your stomach and intestines digest food, your gallbladder releases bile through a tube called the common bile duct which connects your gallbladder and liver to your small intestine.

When we eat food containing fat, a substance known as “cholecystikinin” (CCK) is released which causes the gallbladder to release bile into the small intestine which helps us to metabolize fat.

When something blocks the bile ducts, that is usually a gallstone. Gallstone attacks usually happen after you eat. Signs of a gallstone attack may include nausea, vomiting, or pain in the abdomen, back, or just under the right arm.

Sometimes small, pebble like stones can develop in the gallbladder blocking the tube or “duct” from the gall bladder to the small intestine which can cause swelling and inflammation of the gallbladder and a process known as “cholecystitis.”

So join us as we simplify this disease and arm you with the tools and information you need to combat HIV/AIDS for yourself and those you love.

Host, Dr. John Kennedy, MD, FACC is the Director of Preventive Cardiology and Wellness, Marina Del Rey Hospital, Marina Del Rey, California. He is on the Board of Directors for the American Heart Association and is the Co-Author of The 15 Minute Heart Cure: The Natural Way to Release Stress and Heal Your Heart in Just Minutes a Day.